Andréa hauled ass to get us back to Aix at a decent hour yesterday. I promised the kids I would help them train for their cross country event. I've never been to the park after noon but it was packed. It made sense though...Super beautiful day...Park...It's a good equation. But I hate running when there are too many people around. I get self-conscious. The girls felt the same way, but I pushed them on anyway. I was able to run one full lap before I called it quits. I had started my period at the château so I was tired, cranky, and crampy. I was the one with the stopwatch though so I was able to convince the kids to go on without me. Camille trained with Andréa who is a great runner and Léa ran with me. I taught Léa how to breathe properly, focus, and how to step properly so you don't wear out your joints. Baptiste just kicked the soccer ball around with Momo. They're both soccer players so it was perfect.
This morning, I woke up at 6h30 and boiled some pasta for the kids. Their cross-country event was at 10h00 so they had enough time to absorb the carbs and energy. The kids were suspicious of my "American" ways but I told them to trust me and they each scarfed down two bowls of spaghetti. I even made the kids homemade Gatorade for re-hydration and an electrolyte boost. The kids would learn later on that American methods may seem strange, but they're proven ;-)
I was one of the accompanying adults for the event. Léa wanted me to be a guardian at her school, but Camille's head mistress had already called dibs on me--I was partnered with her. The two of us walked 30 kids down to Parc de la Torse which was just on the other side of the road from the school. The head mistress was at the front of the line and I was at the back. The chubby girl with no friends stood with me at the back of the line. She's super sweet. I don't understand why no one spoke to her. Wait, I do know...Kids are jerks. I really disliked some of the girls in this group. I don't remember my friends or I ever being so annoying at that age. Four bossy girls shoved the bigger girl out of the way, snobbishly told her to move on, and clustered up in front of me--GOSSIPING. They were talking about how ugly this girl is, how ugly that girl is, talking about the poor kids and making fun of them for it. God, I've never wanted to bitch-slap a child so much in my life!!! NOW I know where Camille is getting her snobby mannerisms...It's the kids she's around!!! I wish she'd go to school with her brother and sister at L'école Jean-D'Arc...Baptiste and Léa are so much better grounded...and nicer overall--about the world anyway. The girls would stop randomly as the rest of the line kept moving. I started out by saying "allez-y" but after the third time, I got right in their faces, pointed to the park, and just said "GO!" The glared at me, but they didn't stop again. As they walked on, they were whispering. They were probably talking about me, but I don't care. I would really hate to be those girls' parents. I would hate even more to be those girls when they grow up and realize how wrong they are. You all know those people at some point in time--oblivious, lacking. Yep, they're plentiful in the world.
When we got to the event, the younger kids had already started. About twenty minutes later, it was time for all of the girls in the different area grade schools to compete against each other. I monitored the group of boys as the girls took off. 2 km later, Léa finished about 5 minutes before Camille. Camille claims she was behind because she was helping someone but there were plenty of doctors, paramedics, and bike aids just for those cases. Anyway, If you've been keeping up with the blog, you know that Camille always wusses out when she's running with me--and I run slow!
After the girls finished, it was time for the boys. Baptiste finished 8th or 9th, I can't really remember. He always finishes in the top 10 so he never had anything to worry about. As each segment went on, I was listening to my triplets chat with other kids. It turns out that other kids ate pasta for breakfast as well. Strangely enough, they were all the children of English-speaking parents. I also noticed a lot of Powerade at the meet. I haven't seen Gatorade anywhere in France but Powerade is a good second. Everyone kept on arguing about who had the best preparation for the event. I must say, I think my kids had the best overall routine ;-) The kids are super cute when there's some rivalry though. Each school waits along the track and chants for their own.
I met a Canadian today at the cross-country meet. There was this super huge, super cute dog named Napoleon that I wanted to pet. I was sorry once I did because he slobbered all over my arms. And I'm talking buckets of drool. He's lucky he's so cute, ha haha. The dog owner offered me a towel and I replied with "No, I'm okay" forgetting that I was in France. He immediately started speaking to me in English. He's one of the many English-speaking parents at Camille's school. A lot of expatriates put their kids in the private catholic schools. It's nice to have someone to talk to when you're picking the kids up. Some of the French parents talk to me but they speak so fast that I get lost. I think they forget they're talking to a foreigner sometimes.
This morning, I woke up at 6h30 and boiled some pasta for the kids. Their cross-country event was at 10h00 so they had enough time to absorb the carbs and energy. The kids were suspicious of my "American" ways but I told them to trust me and they each scarfed down two bowls of spaghetti. I even made the kids homemade Gatorade for re-hydration and an electrolyte boost. The kids would learn later on that American methods may seem strange, but they're proven ;-)
I was one of the accompanying adults for the event. Léa wanted me to be a guardian at her school, but Camille's head mistress had already called dibs on me--I was partnered with her. The two of us walked 30 kids down to Parc de la Torse which was just on the other side of the road from the school. The head mistress was at the front of the line and I was at the back. The chubby girl with no friends stood with me at the back of the line. She's super sweet. I don't understand why no one spoke to her. Wait, I do know...Kids are jerks. I really disliked some of the girls in this group. I don't remember my friends or I ever being so annoying at that age. Four bossy girls shoved the bigger girl out of the way, snobbishly told her to move on, and clustered up in front of me--GOSSIPING. They were talking about how ugly this girl is, how ugly that girl is, talking about the poor kids and making fun of them for it. God, I've never wanted to bitch-slap a child so much in my life!!! NOW I know where Camille is getting her snobby mannerisms...It's the kids she's around!!! I wish she'd go to school with her brother and sister at L'école Jean-D'Arc...Baptiste and Léa are so much better grounded...and nicer overall--about the world anyway. The girls would stop randomly as the rest of the line kept moving. I started out by saying "allez-y" but after the third time, I got right in their faces, pointed to the park, and just said "GO!" The glared at me, but they didn't stop again. As they walked on, they were whispering. They were probably talking about me, but I don't care. I would really hate to be those girls' parents. I would hate even more to be those girls when they grow up and realize how wrong they are. You all know those people at some point in time--oblivious, lacking. Yep, they're plentiful in the world.
When we got to the event, the younger kids had already started. About twenty minutes later, it was time for all of the girls in the different area grade schools to compete against each other. I monitored the group of boys as the girls took off. 2 km later, Léa finished about 5 minutes before Camille. Camille claims she was behind because she was helping someone but there were plenty of doctors, paramedics, and bike aids just for those cases. Anyway, If you've been keeping up with the blog, you know that Camille always wusses out when she's running with me--and I run slow!
After the girls finished, it was time for the boys. Baptiste finished 8th or 9th, I can't really remember. He always finishes in the top 10 so he never had anything to worry about. As each segment went on, I was listening to my triplets chat with other kids. It turns out that other kids ate pasta for breakfast as well. Strangely enough, they were all the children of English-speaking parents. I also noticed a lot of Powerade at the meet. I haven't seen Gatorade anywhere in France but Powerade is a good second. Everyone kept on arguing about who had the best preparation for the event. I must say, I think my kids had the best overall routine ;-) The kids are super cute when there's some rivalry though. Each school waits along the track and chants for their own.
Once the event was over, the head mistress and I regrouped the kids and headed back to the school. This time, there were two more parents to help move the line along--one of them being the Canadian dad. As soon as the last child was through the gates, I jetted back to my car. Wow! What a weight off of my shoulders to pass on the responsibility of 30 kids to another adult...I don't think I could ever be a grade-school teacher. Too much surveillance and too many annoying voices...I think I'll stick to the au pair gig.
I had planned on visiting Andréa in Marseille after le cross, but my house was out of gas so I had to wait for the fuel truck to come. No one in the house had taken a hot shower for almost two days so I was anxious for the gas man to come along. I ended up waiting four hours. Maman had given me a pre-signed check to make out to the fuel company which makes me super uncomfortable. I hate handling other peoples' money. Didier had given me a pre-written check for the vet the other day though so I had had a bit of practice. I understand that they'd handle everything if they had the time, but alas, my host parents work just as the rest of us. Oh well, at least we have hot water again!
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